Difficulties Concerning Failure

Chapter 11 

Chapter eleven begins with a statement similar to what I was teaching in this past Sunday’s message (“It Is Finished” April 10, 2022).” You may remember me saying, “I’m going to get a little ‘nerdy’ on you this morning.” I then explained the present perfect tense of the verb used in the sixth statement of Christ from the cross. This verb tense communicates action having taken place in the past, being resolved in the present. Jesus crushing Satan’s head was an action beginning in the past (Genesis 3:20) and completed on the cross. Christian’s who place their faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross theoretically are empowered to live life sinlessly. 

This is what Hannah Whitall Smith was referencing when she wrote in the opening paragraph,

“The very title of this chapter may perhaps startle some. ‘Failures?’ they will say. ‘We thought there were no failures in this life of faith!’ To this I would answer that there ought not to be, and need not be; but, as a fact, there sometimes are, and we must deal with facts and not with theories.” 

Since Satan was defeated by Christ on the cross, sin should have no effect on those who place their faith in Jesus as Savior. The apostle Peter explains this beautiful biblical truth when he writes, 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2nd Peter 1:3, NIV). 

And the apostle Paul sheds light on the unfortunate fact that there is a battle raging against this beautiful truth when he writes, 

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1st John 1:8). 

Friend—brother and sister in Christ—in my opinion this chapter is the most vital chapter to this point in the book for those looking for “success” measured by “happiness” in the Christian life. If you have or are struggling with doubt, discouragement or depression causing your spiritual life to come to a standstill, take the time to read and prayerfully consider this chapter. As the author points out, our temptation when faced with these spiritual obstacles is always to “lie down and be discouraged,” whereas God’s command to us is always get up and be sanctified! (Joshua 7:13). 

Get together with a Christian friend and talk about the potential we have been given in Christ. 

Thoughts and Questions for Interaction 

• Make a list of all the Old Testament Israelite characters you can think of who did not finish well because of sin. And then make a list of all the post resurrection New Testament followers of Christ who did not finish well because of sin. Why, do you believe, there are way more OT characters than NT characters that come to mind? 

• Pastor J has frequently said that conviction is the gentle voice of God encouraging you to do what is best for you. How does his advice to embrace conviction fit in with this chapter and the book’s theme of a Christian’s Happy Life? 

• Karen Spurling has often said that embracing conviction means turning away from unrighteousness towards righteousness. Every time we turn away from something we need to replace it with something we turn towards? What could the following people have turned towards to experience victory rather than defeat? 

Cain (Genesis 4:1–12)    

King Saul (1st Samuel 15) 

Samson (Judges 16) 

Rehoboam (1st Kings 12:1–17) 

Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11) 

• What would you counsel fellow believers struggling with the following sins to replace them with? 

Selfishness 

Materialism 

Sexual Immorality 

Bitterness 

Discontent 

Anger 

Laziness 

• Is there anything that is holding you back from finishing well today?